This is quite a simple procedure. It can be messy so ensure you have a large oil pan to catch all the oil you remove, plenty of rags to wipe up spills, and don’t wear a suit or an evening dress! Do the oil change in a location where you are not going to create an upset if a little oil is spilled. You can get oil stain remover from an auto parts store, though, so don't worry too much.

You will need jack stands to hold your car up safely after you have jacked it up. The jack stands are additional to the jack used to raise the car and are more stable.

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1. Jack up the car and place the jack stands at the correct jack points.

2. Remove the oil pan drain plug (usually the largest bolt in the middle of the pan) and drain the oil into an oil pan.

3. Put a new washer on and tighten the oil pan drain plug.

4. Locate the oil filter. Take it off and replace it with the new filter, but not too tightly. Hand tight plus a quarter of a turn with a wrench is about right.

5. Fill up with the correct grade oil. Usually you will need approximately 4 or 5 quarts, but check your manual.

6. Start the engine for twenty seconds only.

7. Check the oil level again, as the oil filter can absorb up to a quart of oil. Fill it up to the full level on the dipstick.

Always change the filter when you change the oil. Make sure that you have a container to put the old oil in and a safe way to dispose of it so children cannot get to it, and so it is safe for the environment.